Orientation device

ABSTRACT

An orientation device to be fitted has part of the lower end of a drill train having a flow passage and a valve movable between two positions, one permitting an open passage and the other closing it. A direction sensitive member is pivotally mounted having an upwardly directed annular shoulder and the valve member has an upwardly directed arm with an extension which engages the valve annular shoulder to hold the valve from its seat.

United States Patent Mclnerney [54] ORIENTATION DEVICE [72] Inventor: Edwin Mclnerney, Kalgoorlie, Australia Western Mining Corporation Limited, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 22 Filed: Mar. 25, 1970 211 Appl.No.: 22,603

[73] Assignee:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 28, 1969 Australia ..52697/69 [52] U.S. Cl ..l75/45, 33/205 [5 1] Int. Cl ..E21b 47/02 [58] Field of Search ..175/45; 33/205 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,463,253 8/1969 Mcinerney. 1 75/45 51 Mar. 28, 1972 2,046,956 7/1936 Lynch et al. ..175/45 3,077,233 2/1963 Armstrong. .....175/45 2,142,559 1/1939 Duus ..l75/45 3,457,654 7/1969 Alden ..i75/45 Primary Examiner-James A. Leppink Attorney -stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT An orientation device to be fitted has part of the lower end of a drill train having a flow passage and a valve movable between two positions, one permitting an open passage and the other closing it. A direction sensitive member is pivotaily mounted having an upwardly directed annular shoulder and the valve member has an upwardly directed arm with an extension which engages the valve annular shoulder to hold the valve from its seat.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ORIENTATION DEVICE This invention relates to an improved orientation device.

Orientation devices are used in the bottom of drill holes, particularly to locate wedges so that any variation of the direction of the bore hole from vertical can be corrected but they can also be used to maintain a general vertical direction.

Previously proposed orientation devices have been mechanical in that on the drill train reaching predetermined orientation there is a movement of a valve or the like whereby the pressure of fluid at the bore head varies, or electrical in which a signal is obtained on mal-orientation. The device of the present invention relates to the first of these general types.

The subject of the invention is to provide an orientation device which is simple, robust and liable.

The orientation device basically comprises a direction sensitive member and a valve member located within a drill train, the direction sensitive member having means whereby the valve member is held from its seat on correct orientation and means whereby when the direction sensitive member moves from correct orientation, the valve member is able to move to its seat.

The direction sensitive member is preferably pivoted around a ball or similar joint at its upper end and has an end piece having an extension. The valve is provided with a trigger having an extension which can be retained above the extension of the end piece of the direction sensitive member.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, we shall describe one specific embodiment of the device with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view ofthe upper end of the device;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view ofthe lower end ofthe device;

FIG. 3 is a section along line 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the device in its orientation position; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the device in its out of orientation position.

In this embodiment the orientation device 1 is located within a length 2 of AX-barrel which has at each end a modified AX-water end 3.

The orientation device consists basically of two members, an inclination rod 4 which is pivotally mounted at its upper end and is provided with inclination sensing means and a valve 5 adjacent to the lower end of the inclination rod.

Specifically at the upper water end there can be provided strainer housing 6 having a strainer gauze 7 therein and at the lower end of the housing there is a length of tubing 8 spaced inwardly from the barrel 2 and which is perforated as by four waterways 9 to permit fluid flow through the strainer to the annulus between the barrel and the housing. Located below these waterways there is a swivel mount 10 which may be of any required form which is normally formed so that no water flow can pass therethrough. The mount has a compartment 11 which can be closed by a plug 12 and which is adapted to receive a swivel ball 13 and stud 14 which is part of the inclination rod assembly 4. This rod assembly may comprise the ball 13, the stud 14, a body portion 15, which may be a brass tube filled with a material, such as dowel 16 so as to be non-sensitive to external pressure and an inclination rod end piece 17 which is fitted into the tube and which has an upper portion 18 adapted to cooperate with an inclination sensing plate 19, to be described further hereinafter, and a lower portion 20 of which provides a lock against which a locking means 21 on a trigger 39, again to be described hereinafter, can be retained.

The inclination sensing plate 19 located within the housing has an aperture 22 therethrough which is eccentric and is so arranged that at one side the inclination rod is vertical whereas if the inclination rod is located in another portion it is moved away from the vertical. This can best be seen from the schematic diagrams FIGS. 4 and 5.

In this way if the inclination rod can be considered to move around this aperture, there is one portion of the movement wherein the inclination rod is substantially coaxial with the orientation device, the condition shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and another portion wherein the inclination rod is at an angle to this position, as shown in FIG. 5.

The end piece 20, below the sensing plate has a reduced portion 23 which terminates in an outwardly directed shoulder 24, which shoulder may be provided with an annular recess 25 therein to thereby provide an upwardly extending peripheral skirt.

The lower end of the end piece can be tapered down in a form of a cone but this is not'essential although it does air the location of the inclination rod within the body of the device.

Water ways 26 are provided in the tubing 27 below or near the end of the inclination rod 4 through which water ways the water passing in the annular space between the tubing 8, 27 and the barrel 2 can again enter the body of the housing.

The inclination rod is thus normally surrounded by water in operation and in order to prevent collapse of the body portions 15 it is provided with the dowel 16 or the like.

Connected to the end of the housing below the inclination rod is a tennination member 28 to which there is fitted a valve body 29. The termination member bay be brazed or otherwise connected to the housing and the valve body may be a screw fit thereon.

The valve body has an upwardly directed seat 30, a central aperture 31 passing through the seat and through the body and preferably a gauze strainer 32 may be provided in the body below the seat. A valve member 13 is located in the upper part of the central aperture and the valve member may include a piston 34 which is a sliding fit in the aperture 31 and which has a valve closure member 35 or bucket on its upper end. The aperture is provided with a shoulder 36 or the like to limit movement of the piston and there is provided an helical spring 37 between the shoulder and the lower edge of the piston so that under normal conditions the valve member 34 is held away from its seat.

The form of valve closure member is not of importance. As illustrated, it is a rubber bucket 35 which fits over the top of the piston and is adapted to extend around the valve seat 30, thereby closing the valve. The upper end of the valve nut 33 is provided with a threaded stud 38 over which the bucket is adapted to fit. The bucket is held in position either by a washer and nut or, as illustrated, by an actuating trigger 39 which is arranged to cooperate with the inclination rod end 20. The actuating trigger 39 is screwed over the stud of the piston and extends upwardly therefrom, is directed towards the wall of the housing and then has an arm 40 or the like extending parallel to the wall of the housing. This arm is received in an aperture 41 in the inclination sensing plate, which aperture is away from the main aperture of the sensing plate.

Arm 40 acts to guide the valve member in its movement, the valve member also being guided by the piston 34 in its aperture.

Extending from the trigger arm or body is an inwardly directed locking means 21, the form of which is of little importance but which is provided on its inner surface with a downward extension 42. The arrangement of the locking means and the extension is such that when the inclination rod is in the vertical position the extension 42 of the locking means is directly above the annular recess 25 in the shoulder of the lower portion of the inclination rod.

The assembly is adapted to be connected into a normal drill train, preferably near the bit.

In operation the assembly is so connected and it will be seen that on the drill rod being lowered into the bore hole, the valve member 33 will be held from its seat 30 either by the spring 37 alone or, more usually, by the back pressure of the fluid in the bore hole passing through the central aperture of the valve body and forcing the valve member away from its seat together with the spring.

When the device is located in the bottom of the bore hole, one of two arrangements will be found. In the first of these arrangements, when the device is correctly oriented the downward extension 42 on the locking member will be directly above the peripheral groove 25 of the inclination rod end and on drilling fluid pressure being applied to the drill train, these two members will engage thus physically holding the valve member from its valve seat and fluid will flow. This flow can readily be ascertained at the surface by the pressure in the fluid line. if the device is not correctly oriented the locking member will not be obstructed and on fluid being pumped through the drill lines, the valve member will be forced onto its seat by the fluid pressure and there will be an increase in pressure at the surface.

In order to reset the device it is only necessary to relieve the pressure which will cause the valve to move under its spring to the open position. If the end of the inclination rod is directly above the locking member on the trigger the conical surface of the inclination rod end will permit the trigger to ride thereon, thus displacing the inclination rod until the valve reaches its fully open position. At this time the drill rod train can be rotated, if necessary, pressure again applied and orientation checked.

Depending on the formation of the aperture in the inclination sensing plate the characteristics of the device can vary. Normally the plate is so formed that the valve would remain open because of contact between the trigger and the inclination rod over approximately 180 of rotation of the drill train, whereas the valve would be permitted to close over the other 180".

The orientation device can be used for maintaining the direction of a bore hole as it is accurate to within approximately one-half of a degree. Thus during normal drilling operations it is possible to fit the orientation device near the bottom end of the drill train and at certain periods simply release the pressure on the drilling fluid and re-apply the pressure with the train in some three positions of 120 to each other and if the bore hole has deviated for more than half a degree at at least one of these positions, pressure at the drill head will increase indicating this variation. If the drilling was still vertical, in none of the three positions would there be a pressure increase as in all of these the inclination rod would be substantially coaxial to the housing device and the locking member and the head of the inclination rod would inter-engage.

It is to be understood that various modifications can be made in the device of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, in particular the inclination rod could be pivoted part way along its length on a universal type pivot and the actuating trigger could be operated indirectly rather than directly with the valve member. Any and all such modifications are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

lclaim:

1. An orientation device comprising a housing, a direction sensitive member mounted by a pivotal connection at its upper end in the housing, a valve assembly in the housing below the direction sensitive member the assembly having an annular valve seat, a valve member in a bore within the seat, the valve closure being located thereabove, a spring in the bore pivotally holding the valve closure away from its seat, an arm extending upwardly from the valve member the upper end of which is parallel to one wall of the housing, the arm being restrained to move so as to remain parallel to the wall, means on the arm adapted to engage the direction sensitive member when the device is in a predetermined orientation relative to the vertical, the direction sensitive member having a lower end piece including an upper annular shoulder having a recess thereabout and wherein the means on the arm adapted to engage therewith has a downwardly directed portion able to be received in the recess.

2. An orientation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the direction sensitive member is pivoted by a joint.

3. An orientation device comprising a direction sensitive member and a valve member located within a drill train, the direction sensitive member being pivotally mounted at its upper end and having a lower end iece includin an upwardly directed annular shoulder, the va ve member aving an upwardly directed arm restrained to move parallel to the drill train, an extension from the arm which engages the upwardly directed annular shoulder when the device is in a predetermined orientation relative to the vertical thereby holding the valve from its seat.

4. An orientation device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the extension is part way along the arm, the upper end of which is restrained in an aperture in a member attached to the body to control the movement of the valve.

5. An orientation device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the valve has a spring by means of which the valve is held from its seat unless acted on by pressure fluid passing through the device. 

1. An orientation device comprising a housing, a direction sensitive member mounted by a pivotal connection at its upper end in the housing, a valve assembly in the housing below the direction sensitive member the assembly having an annular valve seat, a valve member in a bore within the seat, the valve closure being located thereabove, a spring in the bore pivotally holding the valve closure away from its seat, an arm extending upwardly from the valve member the upper end of which is parallel to one wall of the housing, the arm being restrained to move so as to remain parallel to the wall, means on the arm adapted to engage the direction sensitive member when the device is in a predetermined orientation relative to the vertical, the direction sensitive member having a lower end piece including an upper annular shoulder having a recess thereabout and wherein the means on the arm adapted to engage therewith has a downwardly directed portion able to be received in the recess.
 2. An orientation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the direction sensitive member is pivoted by a joint.
 3. An orientation device comprising a direction sensitive member and a valve member located within a drill train, the direction sensitive member being pivotally mounted at its upper end and having a lower end piece including an upwardly directed annular shoulder, the valve member having an upwardly directed arm restrained to move parallel to the drill train, an extension from the arm which engages the upwardly directed annular shoulder when the device is in a predetermined orientation relative to the vertical thereby holding the valve from its seat.
 4. An orientation device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the extension is part way along the arm, the upper end of which is restrained in an aperture in a member attached to the body to control the movement of the valve.
 5. An orientation device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the valve has a spring by means of which the valve is held from its seat unless acted on by pressure fluid passing through the device. 